Touch Control Toilet Seat Device

ABSTRACT

A touch control toilet seat device includes a main body and a seat. In the main body there is a microprocessor for processing logic control of the component parts in relation to cleaning the user&#39;s body after defecation. A seat having non-contacting circuit switches and a heater element is movably hinged to the main body. The electric supply to the microprocessor is initiated when the human body moves close to the non-contacting circuit switches thereby energizing the heater element to warm up the cold water from the plumbing pipe to clean the user&#39;s contaminated part with spraying warm water.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the invention

The present invention relates to a touch control toilet seat device, andin particular, a toilet seat device having several non-contactingcircuit switches attached to the upper edge of its seat to be actuatedby the approaching human body thereby energizing the electric source towork.

2. Description of the Prior Art

As the living standard is brought up, there have come out incessantly alot of improved lavatory equipment with extra functions. The most wellknown type is one which can clean the user's contaminated part afterdefecation with a water spray. By reason that surroundings of the anusare wrinkled and sensitive, it may cause uncomfortable feeling when toocold water is used. Therefore, the types of equipments, which employwarm water for cleaning, are preferable.

However, for supplying warm water to the toilet seat device, storing atall time fixed amount of warm water, or installing an instant waterheating equipment is a must. In both case, wasting energy is inevitable.Preparing an electric switch for the user to switch on after defecationis a solution. Yet there are still problems that the user might forgetto turn off the switch before leaving the lavatory that leads to wastingof the electric energy.

In view of the foregoing situation, the inventor of the invention hereinwent to great lengths of intensive research based on many years ofexperience gained through professional engagement in the manufacturingof related products, with continuous experimentation and improvementfinally has succeeded to come out with the touch control toilet seatdevice of the present invention.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a touchcontrol toilet seat device, which can install sophisticated computer aidelectronic devices in the toilet seat device for use.

Another object of the present invention is to provide small sizedsophisticated and computerized control device attached to the toiletseat device so as to keep the user's body clean with warm water afterdefecation.

To achieve the above objects, the toilet seat device of the presentinvention comprises mainly a main body, a seat and a cover.

In the main body of the toilet seat device there contains amicroprocessor for processing and performing logic control of a nozzleunit, a pump unit and a heat supply unit all in relation with cleaning.The microprocessor conducts the running water to the heat supply unit tobe heated, and then the heated warm water is sprayed as cleaning waterfrom the nozzle unit, which has several reciprocating nozzles.

The seat is movably hinged to the main body and having at least onenon-contacting circuit switch and a heater element equipped along theinner side edge of its surface so as to initiate the electric supply tothe microprocessor as soon as the human body approaches to actuate thenon-contacting circuit switches thereby beginning the operation of theheater element to warm up the seat.

A cover is movably hinged to the seat to cover the toilet seat deviceand to be lifted up when using the toilet seat device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other objects and purposes of the invention will be apparent to personsacquainted with apparatus of this general type upon reading thefollowing specification and inspection of the accompanying drawings.

FIGS. 1 and 1A are perspective views of the touch control toilet seatdevice of the present invention, in which the control unit is explodedand enlarged for illustration.

FIG. 2 is a top view of the toilet seat device of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a sectional enlarged view along the line A-A of FIG. 2 showingthe layout of the non-contacting circuit switch.

FIG. 4 is an operational flow chart of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to FIG. 1 through FIG. 4, the toilet seat device of thepresent invention comprises a main body 1, a seat 2 with a control unit4, and a cover 3.

In the main body 1 there contains a microprocessor 11 for processing andperforming logic control of a nozzle unit 12, a pump unit 13 and a heatsupply unit 14 in relation with cleaning.

The seat 2 is movably hinged to the main body 1 and having at least onenon-contacting circuit switch 21 and a heater element 22. Thenon-contacting circuit switch is a touch sensor electrically inconnection with the microprocessor for transmitting control signals.

The cover 3 is movably hinged to the seat 2 to cover the toilet seatdevice for lifting up when the toilet seat device is to be used.

The control unit 4 is attached to one side of the seat 2 with severalnon-contacting circuit switches 21 laid on the surface thereof andelectrically in connection with the microprocessor 11 for transmittingcontrol signals. At that side of the seat 2 is further provided with aremote controller (not shown), one nozzle out of the nozzle unit 12 canbe selected by the control unit 4 and the remote controller to spraycleaning water to the user after leaving the toilet seat device.

The non-contacting circuit switch 21 is disposed on the surface of theseat 2 where the user's legs and hip are supported so as to form asensing surface 23 on the seat 2. The non-contacting circuit switch 21is a touch sensor or a capacitive touch sensor in which a sensor sheetof unknown capacitance is charged to a known potential, and then thecharges are transferred to a measurement circuit, after more than onecharge-transfer cycles, the capacitance of the sensor sheet can befigured out by measuring the charges. Therefore, when the user's body isapproaching or touching the sensing surface 23 of the seat 2, a minorchange of capacitance can be accurately measured and then converted to acontrol signal for the microprocessor 11 to drive each unit contained inthe main body 1 and the seat 2 thereby rapidly initiating the powersupply to the microprocessor 11 and the heater element 22. The usersitting on the seat 2 will be feeling comfortable with the legs and hipbeing warmed by the seat 2.

Several non-contacting circuit switches 42 provided for the control unit4 can be operated to initiate or stop the operation of each unit or themicroprocessor 11, regulate the heat supply unit 14 and temperature ofthe heater element 22, or the water flow supplied by the pump unit 13.The non-contacting circuit switch 21 is electrically in connection withthe microprocessor 11. The non-contacting circuit switch 42 has a lay-insensing electrode and an application circuit. The surface of theapplication circuit is affixed with a layer of touch induction medium 41(key button). By tapping with a finger on the medium 41, it iselectrically connected with the lay-in sensing electrode to convert theinformation about the finger position into control signals of the mainbody 1 or the seat 2. The sensing electrode may be a simple surface ofprinted circuit welded board or the like, or a conductive ITO filmprinted on a transparent touch screen. The adjustments of sensitivitycan also easily preformed by forming a sensing electrode and varying thecapacitance. The non-contacting circuit switch 42 is of a low powerconsumption mode for saving electric energy, and can assure a quickresponse to the action of tapping the key button. In the event when thebuttons are tapped, the microprocessor 11 is reminded to identify whichcircuit switch is the kernel, or the one exactly wanted so as to avoidconfusion arising from the response of plural buttons to a singletapping. To avoid the clogging of the key buttons by the foreignmaterial on the sensing surface, the non-contacting circuit switch 42and the touch induction medium 41 should be calibrated from time totime.

The heat supply unit 14 and the pump unit 13 are connected to a plumbingpipe and electrically in connection with the microprocessor 11 tocontrol heating function of the former and action of the latter. Themicroprocessor 11 also controls the amount of warm spray from the nozzleunit 12 supplied by the pump unit 13 after the heat supply unit 14 heatsthe cold water from the plumbing pipe. The nozzle unit 12 is composed ofreciprocating nozzles to clean the user's contaminated part on the bodywith warm water spray after completion of defecation.

In the main body 1 there further contains a warm wind supply unit and adeodorization unit (both not shown). The former is used to dry theuser's wet part where being just cleaned by water with warm wind. Thelatter is used to deodorize the toilet seat device and expel the airinside the toilet seat device out of an exit hole (not shown).

By adding an extra capacitor, the characteristics of the non-contactingcircuit switch 21 can be altered to obtain a different transmissibilityto apply to the seats 2 with different surface thickness. The senilityof the circuit switch 21 can be adjusted by replacing a capacitor. Thevalue of the capacitance thereof is ranging from 10 nf to 500 nf. Foradjusting response time the circuit switch 21 may vary the capacitancevalue of Cs and Cx, wherein Cs is 1 nf˜200 nf, and Cx is 0˜100 pf.

Now, it will be apparent that the touch control toilet seat deviceaccording to the present invention has several noteworthy advantagescompared to any conventional products by the fact that thenon-contacting circuit switch is small sized, highly stable and reliablehaving the ability of electrically conductive through insulation mediasuch as glass, plastic, acrylic, ceramic etc . . . . On the other sideof the medium (seat) surface, an imaginary circuit switch is formed toattain the aim of control when the human body approaches or touches thesensing surface of this imaginary circuit switch.

Although the present invention has been disclosed and illustrated withrespect to preferred embodiments thereof, it is to be understood thatthe invention is not to be limited and that other changes andmodifications can be made within the full-intended scope of theinvention as hereinafter claimed.

1. A touch control toilet seat device comprising: a main body containinga microprocessor for processing and performing logic control ofcomponent parts in relation with cleaning a user's body afterdefecation; and a seat movably hinged to said main body and having atleast one non-contacting circuit switch equipped along an inner edge ofa seat surface so as to initiate an electric supply to saidmicroprocessor as soon as a human body being moved close to actuate saidnon-contacting circuit switch.
 2. The toilet seat device of claim 1,wherein said slosestool further includes a cover movably hinged to saidseat to cover said toilet seat device and to be lifted up in case ofusing said toilet seat device.
 3. The toilet seat device of claim 1,wherein a heater element is attached to the inner edge of said seatsurface so as to be actuated by said microprocessor which beinginitiated by said non-contacting circuit switch energized by approachingthe human body thereby causing said heater element to warm up said seat.4. The toilet seat device of claim 1, wherein said non-contactingcircuit switch is a touch sensor.
 5. The toilet seat device of claim 1,wherein said non-contacting circuit switch can change characteristicsthereof by externally adding an extra capacitor so as to obtain adifferent transmissibility.
 6. A touch control toilet seat devicecomprising: a main body containing a microprocessor for processing andperforming logic control, said microprocessor manipulating a nozzleunit, a pump unit and a heat supply unit in relation with the cleaningfunction, said microprocessor controlling running water to be suppliedfrom a plumbing pipe to said heat supply unit for heating, and thenwarmed water being pumped up to said nozzle unit by said pump unit;wherein said nozzle unit contains reciprocating nozzles to clean auser's contaminated part of body with the warm water sprayed from saidnozzle after defecation; a seat movably hinged to said main body andhaving at least one non-contacting circuit switch and a heater elementequipped along an inner edge of a seat surface so as to initiate anelectric supply to said microprocessor as soon as a human body beingmoved close to actuate said non-contacting circuit switch therebyenergizing said heat element to warm up said seat; and a control unitdisposed aside said seat, and having several non-contacting circuitswitches laid on a surface thereof and electrically in connection withsaid microprocessor for providing said microprocessor with controlsignals.
 7. The toilet seat device of claim 6, wherein saidnon-contacting circuit switch has a lay-in sensing electrode and anapplication circuit, and a surface of said application circuit isaffixed with a layer of a touch induction medium.
 8. The toilet seatdevice of claim 7, wherein by tapping with a finger on said medium toelectrically connect with said lay-in sensing electrode, informationabout finger position is converted into control signals of said mainbody or said seat.
 9. The toilet seat device of claim 7, wherein saidlay-in sensing electrode is a conducting surface of a printed circuitwelded board.
 10. The toilet seat device of claim 7, wherein said lay-insensing electrode is a conductive ITO film printed on a transparenttouch screen.
 11. The toilet seat device of claim 6, wherein saidnon-contacting circuit switch can change characteristics thereof byexternally adding an extra capacitor so as to obtain a differenttransmissibility.